Zucchini Ground Beef Skillet Casserole
Easy and cheesy zucchini ground beef skillet casserole! This recipe is a scrumptious mix of fresh zucchini, onion, seasonings, ground beef, rice and cheese. It's something the whole family will enjoy. Make it in 30 minutes with simple pantry ingredients.
Equipment
- 1 Large, 3 quart stainless skillet *or non-stick *be sure you've got a lid for the skillet you use!
Ingredients
- ½ cup long grain white rice *or brown rice
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20% *see note below
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 medium yellow onion *or white onion
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil *chopped
- 1 & ½ teaspoons Italian seasonings
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 & ½ cups shredded colby jack cheese *or cheese of choice
- Chopped fresh parsley *optional for garnishing
Recipe notes:
Ground beef: I use 80/20% ground beef so that I can reserve fats for sautéing veggies. If you want to use leaner beef that's fine! Just sub olive oil to sauté veggies.Instructions
- Prepare ½ cup of raw rice to make approximately 1 cup of cooked rice. I like to make mine on the stovetop, but you can use your preferred method!½ cup long grain white rice
- Brown ground beef in a large non-stick or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. I use my 3-quart stainless skillet, and it fits the ingredients nicely.1 pound ground beef
- Drain fat from beef but reserve 1 tablespoon in the pan for sautéing veggies. Place beef in a bowl to the side. If you used leaner beef, you can sauté veggies in olive oil.
- Chop veggies into large pieces. The cut of the veggies (especially the zucchini) is important for avoiding sogginess. Slice into ½-¾ inch slices and then quarter each slice. Do the same with the onion.2 medium zucchini, 1 medium yellow onion
- Add veggies to the skillet and sauté 10-15 minutes over medium-high heat until nice and brown. Don't stir too often or they won't brown properly.
- Deglaze your pan with about ⅓ cup of water and reduce heat to low. (This simply means, add water to the pan to get all of the brown bits unstuck from the bottom of your pan)!
- Return browned beef to the skillet with the sautéed veggies. Add cooked rice, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and all seasonings. Mix well and pat into an even layer in the pan. Reduce heat to low.¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, 1 & ½ teaspoons Italian seasonings, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Top with shredded cheese and place a lid on the pan. Once cheese is fully melted, remove from heat. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley and enjoy!1 & ½ cups shredded colby jack cheese, Chopped fresh parsley